The expansion of the globally successful NCIS Universe continues with one of its most anticipated and intriguing projects yet: NCIS: Origins. This prequel series, set to debut on CBS, will take fans back to the tumultuous early days of the late 1980s, exploring the initial formation of the Naval Criminal Investigative Service and the formative years of several franchise legends.
The most critical piece of the puzzle for NCIS: Origins has now been revealed: the casting search for a younger version of Special Agent Dwayne Pride, the beloved character originally played by the incomparable Scott Bakula on NCIS: New Orleans.
The prequel focuses on the adventures of a young Leroy Jethro Gibbs (Mark Harmon) and his recruitment into the fledgling NCIS. However, the search for the actor to play young Pride underscores the importance of the New Orleans team leader in the larger NCIS mythology. This article breaks down all the known details about the casting, the character’s expected arc, and why this is the toughest role to fill in the new series.
🌟 The Critical Casting: Successor to Scott Bakula
Replacing an actor as iconic and beloved as Scott Bakula—who helmed NCIS: New Orleans for seven seasons—is an immense challenge. The casting call for young Dwayne Pride reflects a specific vision that blends the character’s familiar charm with the intensity of a young, ambitious federal agent.
The Character Profile
The casting notice requested an actor to play Pride in his late 20s or early 30s, capturing the energy of a man on the cusp of his career. The profile emphasizes several key traits:
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Charismatic Confidence: The actor must possess the natural, easy confidence that defined the older Pride, showcasing his ability to lead and connect with people instantly. Pride’s charisma is his superpower, allowing him to charm witnesses and disarm suspects.
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The Musical Soul: While NCIS: Origins is primarily a procedural, the casting likely seeks an actor who can subtly convey the New Orleans soul and musicality that was central to Pride’s character. This foundation of culture is key to understanding the man he becomes.
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A “Rookie” Intensity: The young Pride is still a rising star, full of ambition and a degree of recklessness that defined the early days of NCIS. He won’t be the measured, world-weary leader fans know; he will be the aggressive, determined agent eager to prove himself.
The Historical Challenge
The actor chosen for this role must not only resemble a young Scott Bakula but must also capture the specific emotional and historical context of the character. Young Pride is meant to be a man escaping a complicated past (particularly with his father) and forging a new identity alongside a gruff partner who will become his mentor and lifelong friend: Leroy Jethro Gibbs.
🤝 The Early Days: Pride and Gibbs’ Partnership
The central premise of NCIS: Origins revolves around the formative partnership between young Dwayne Pride and young Leroy Jethro Gibbs. This dynamic is the engine of the entire series.
The Original NCIS Team
The prequel is set to explore the period where Gibbs first met Pride. In NCIS: New Orleans mythology, the two agents were paired early on and forged a bond so strong that they considered each other family.
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Gibbs as Mentor: At this stage, Gibbs is likely the more seasoned agent, gruffly teaching Pride the ropes of federal law enforcement. Pride’s role will be to challenge Gibbs’s cynical worldview with his boundless optimism and emotional intelligence.
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A Balanced Duo: Their early partnership would have been a perfect balance: Gibbs providing the tactical precision and skepticism, and Pride offering the street-smart charm and humanity that often softened Gibbs’s edges. Their friendship is the emotional anchor of the NCIS franchise’s history.
The 1980s Setting
Setting the show in the late 1980s and early 1990s provides a unique backdrop that will shape Pride’s early character arc:
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The Wild West of NCIS: The NCIS was still relatively new, operating with fewer rules and more autonomy. This allows for high-stakes, unconventional police work that suits the aggressive style of both young Gibbs and young Pride.
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Technological Shift: The show will capture the transition from manual, paper-driven investigation to the early adoption of computers and forensic science, giving the investigations a distinct flavor that contrasts sharply with the modern NCIS.
🏛️ Pride’s Arc: Escaping the Past
Young Pride’s character arc will not be just about professional success; it will be about escaping the shadow of his complicated family life to create his own identity based on honor and service.
The Legacy of Cassius Pride
Pride’s father, Cassius Pride, was an infamous con man who instilled in Dwayne a deep understanding of human nature and manipulation, even as Dwayne rejected his criminal path.
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Rejecting Corruption: NCIS: Origins is expected to delve into Dwayne’s efforts to distance himself from his father’s reputation. This provides immediate, high-stakes internal conflict, as Pride must constantly prove that his service is driven by genuine justice, not inherited criminality.
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Finding a New Family: His deep bond with Gibbs and his future team members will be a direct result of his desire to build a “found family”—one based on the integrity and loyalty his biological family often lacked.
The New Orleans Connection
While the original show placed Pride in New Orleans, NCIS: Origins will likely show him moving around as a federal agent before settling there. However, the New Orleans sensibility will be crucial to his identity. The show may reveal that his early cases often drew him to the city, or that the culture he absorbed during his formative years ultimately called him back to establish the NCIS: New Orleans office.
🔑 Conclusion: The Key to the Franchise’s Future
The casting of a young Dwayne Pride for NCIS: Origins is arguably the most crucial decision for the new show’s success, second only to the actor who will play young Gibbs.
The chosen actor must successfully inhabit the charisma, integrity, and depth that Scott Bakula brought to the character while portraying the youthful ambition and internal conflict of a man in his prime. This prequel promises to honor the powerful mythology of NCIS by showing the formative partnership between Pride and Gibbs—a friendship that defined two of the franchise’s most iconic leaders and created the foundation for the NCIS we know today. Fans are eagerly awaiting the announcement of the actor who will be tasked with carrying the torch of the King of New Orleans.
